MIAMI, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- A four-year-old newly-trained Interagro Lusitano stallion brought a record price of US$145,000.00 recently at The 2010 Lusitano Collection™ International Horse Auction held at The Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.  With a record attendance of 250 people, the third consecutive U.S. auction attracted a prestigious crowd of notable trainers, breeders, professional riders and amateur practitioners from various regions of the United States and Canada. This select group of horse connoisseurs and aficionados of the equestrian disciplines did not hesitate to make their preferences known for the Brazilian imports at the higher end of the price spectrum with record setting sales prices this year.  Seventy percent of the lots were sold at or above their reserve prices, resulting in an average price of US$41,700.00 per animal sold. 

The successful results achieved by The Lusitano Collection™ go beyond the simple commercial aspect of the sales. More importantly, this auction served to advance the introduction of the Lusitano breed one step further in North America, not only by increasing the number of owners, but also, very specifically, by attracting an ever growing group of demanding and savvy horse persons who know how to distinguish and evaluate the quality and potential of the horses they buy. "There is a tremendous benefit of buying horses from a big breeder who has completed the importation process for you," reported Helene Asmis, a trainer from New Mexico who was named IALHA Horsewoman of the Year in 2001 and bought two horses at the auction. 

It also served to give a valuable reading of the equestrian market's wishes for future events. As a pioneering promoter of the Lusitano breed, The Lusitano Collection™ has striven to bring a diversified group of horses to the U.S. auction in order to accommodate various equestrian disciplines and riding levels; however, with the experience gathered from past events, The Lusitano Collection™ will now focus on a more exact range of options better designed and catered to the selective and educated equestrian buyers who will attend the U.S. annual auction scheduled to take place in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2011.

SOURCE The Lusitano Collection